kaybisgaard

[kaybisgaard]

ÉTOILE 1.04

[kaybisgaard]

So, anyway. Writing is going well.

[kaybisgaard]

[kaybisgaard]

Casimir hadn't thought of him as beautiful before, never getting past hot and intimidating for long enough to appreciate the finer points of his features. Now, when he left the bathroom and Sylvan was lounging on the bed, that was the thing he found himself utterly lost in.

He was glowing in a beam of sunlight, and his hair was fluffy from air-drying. His eyes were shockingly pale against his bronze skin, although the exact color was lost in the golden light.

He lifted himself to his elbows when he noticed Casimir, who could all too vividly imagine going over there and kissing him.

He wondered idly if he would fuck him if he asked nicely.

He shook off the thought - both thoughts, really - and forced himself to get a grip. His job was to be suspicious of him, not to fall in love with him.

[kaybisgaard]

Is writing with a fever a great idea or an excellent idea?

[kaybisgaard]

[kaybisgaard]

I'm editing right now, so the last thing I technically wrote is probably this:

"That's funny. I don't remember you being a terrorist."

Garrett shrugged. "Maybe you weren't paying attention."

WIP checkpoint!

reblog this with the last 3 sentences you wrote from your current WIP

[kaybisgaard]

Ashes (Index) Chapter 3 Part 3

Garrett was no stranger to violence, but he was used to getting a warning. Warren hadn't raised his voice, his tone hadn't changed. He didn't even look angry. He sat, calmly, gesturing towards the chair, for Garrett to sit back down. He did, stunned, gingerly touching the burning side of his face.

"I also expect you to show me respect," Warren said, his voice completely even.

Garrett prodded as his lip. He tasted blood, and thought it might be swelling up.

"Yes, sir."

It wasn't even slightly sincere, but Warren didn't seem to mind.

"Now," he said. "Tell me what you want, and I'll tell you how to get it." He wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but Garrett knew he was right. This entire community was build on nepotism, and he couldn't achieve his goals on his own.

"I want on the Council," Garrett said.

"Son," Warren said, as if he had ever been anything but a stranger to him. "The Council…"

"What? Tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it."

"You need to stand out," Warren said. "You need to be smarter, stronger, than the others, but it's a political game, Garrett. Being the best mage won't be enough."

"I know. I have to stay clean, not a single mark on my record. I guess I'll have to formally claim my heritage as well, won't I?"

"It would certainly help."

Garret nodded.

"But even then," Warren continued. "You need to prove yourself capable as a leader. You need to engage with the community, with your peers."

Garrett sighed. None of this was surprising, of course, but that was perhaps his one weakness. He was better than his peers, but no one liked the person who excelled at everything. Once he came out as the son of Warren Bailey, Headmaster, he would undoubtedly become more popular, but he would have to grab hold of that opportunity and run with it, before everyone remembered that he was odd, intimidating, a loner. His reputation hadn’t improved drastically or quickly enough to reach the Legacies. They still looked right through him. Or, if they were forced to acknowledge him, with disdain.

"Well," Garrett said, shifting to stand. "If that was everything."

"Your mother wants to see you."

Garrett stopped. His entire world seemed to stop, for just a second. Two years, he had been here. Two years, and he hadn't once seen his mother. It was another of those things that shouldn't affect him, and surprised him when they did.

"Why?" His voice had turned weak, barely above a whisper. He sunk back into the chair.

"You made your choice. You belong here, now. In this world. It's time."

"It's time? Are you serious? So, if I had made a different choice, you would just have let me be an orphan?"

Warren watched him with those calm, hard eyes. "You would have been."

He expected a different answer. According to Lionel, he needed Garrett for the sake of his legacy. Was he really supposed to believe that he would just have let him go? Of course, as Lionel had also pointed out, he hadn’t made that choice, so it didn’t matter.

"When?" He didn’t really give a shit what his family wanted, but it wasn't like he had a choice. He needed family to get on the Council, and he needed to get on the Council to make things right.

"Now," Warren said.

[kaybisgaard]

Ashes (Index) Chapter 3 Part 2

"You're staying," Warren said. They were the first words his father had spoken to him, really. The first time he had directly acknowledged his presence. He had yet to comment on their relation, but Garrett guessed that detail was meant to stay between the lines. Now that he knew the truth, he looked for familiar features in the man in front of him, but failed to see a resemblance.

"I am," Garrett answered, even though it had never been a question. Although, whether his tone suggested that he was pleased or disappointed was unclear.

"You understand that the murder is an obstacle."

He had really believed it wasn't.

"It was an accident," Garrett said, and it was essentially an automatic response at this point. People kept calling him a murderer, but he couldn't reconcile that with the events. He’d had no control of himself or his magic, and he barely remembered anything except for pain.

"All the same," Warren said, waving his protest away as if there was no difference. "You will have to work hard to build a better reputation for yourself, but even if you succeed, your options might be limited."

"Limited?"

"The Council is unlikely to take you in, as is the Academy. The Agents might, but you will have to show restraint from here on out."

"I'm not an idiot," Garrett said. "I know what you do here. I've seen the executions. I've heard of far worse. Are you really going to pretend you're all saints here? I didn't murder anyone, but even if I had, I don't understand the problem."

"The problem," Warren said, "is that you murdered a normal human, Garrett. An innocent. What we do here isn't murder. It's protection."

Garrett said nothing. Defending himself didn't work, when no one was listening. He had come to accept, eventually, that he had stepped into a different world, with a different logic.

"You're strong," Warren said, "talented. I expect you to make the Bailey name proud."

Garrett had set out to remain emotionless around his father. He didn't want to care, but then he said something like that, and it set off a flare deep within his bones. He looked him in the eyes, a mirror of his own, and cocked his head.

"I don't give a shit about the Bailey name," Garrett replied.

"Well, maybe you should start." Garrett expected anger, but Warren sounded calm. "Things will be easier for you, if you have some support."

Garrett rose from the chair, and leaned over the desk. "I haven't needed your support for 17 years, old man. So you can go fuck yourself."

Warren slapped him. Hard enough to make him stumble, and maybe even fall, if he hadn't caught himself on the edge of the desk. The corner dug into the heel of his hand, and left a lingering ache that would remain for days.

[kaybisgaard]

Ashes (Index) Chapter 3 Part 1

Garrett Warren Bailey is 17 years old, and he had made his choice.

Despite his best efforts, he would eventually become the headmaster's son.

Maybe it was his own fault, for invoking his father to that Agent. Maybe this was the price of his arrogance, of thinking he could get away with using his name without owning it. Anyway, it was only a matter of time before someone got a hold of his full name. And it would take years, but as his strength grew, his father would start taking an interest in him, something that also didn't go unnoticed by his peers.

After that first overwhelming, suffocating, painful burst of magic, it became fleeting and distant. It was like telling your blood what to do, or your liver, or your bones. It was like digging into the endless depths of your mind and body and soul, to grab hold of a thin, fragile thread, and dragging it to the surface. It seemed impossible, and yet so very possible, as the power was still reverberating through his body, and had been since he manifested. It became easier with practice, more natural, but it wasn’t easy to reach that point.

The Legacies, the ones that cheated and grew up around magic and learned what to expect, were pampered, they were spoiled. They had never struggled, never endured. Not like Garrett had. So he didn't care that it was hard. He didn't care that it took time.

Garrett may not have had the head start of a true Legacy, but he was clever and determined, and that had been more than enough to catch up.

[kaybisgaard]

ACT II AUTONOMY

[kaybisgaard]

Becoming a writer is great because now you have a hobby that haunts you whenever you don’t have time to do it

[kaybisgaard]

a necromancer is just a really late healer

[kaybisgaard]

"I don't claim to love what I cannot have," the priest said.

"You love your God," the monster responded.

"My God is always with me."

"Even now?" His steps echoed in the vast space as he stepped closer. "When there's a monster in your church?"

The priest wavered, struggling to stand his ground. "A monster that won't hurt me."

"Oh, my love." He was close enough now that he could reach out and touch him, his sharp nails grazing soft skin. "Don't you see? That's the tragedy of us. I was always going to hurt you."

The priest's resolve finally broke, and he stumbled back. His foot caught on the first step leading to the alter and he fell back, scrambling to put space between them.

"Oh, no," the monster said. "Not now. Not like this."

The priest sat up, more properly, on the top step.

The monster bowed slightly. "You know where to find me when you need me."

"I will never need you, creature."

The monster smiled. "You will."

He turned and walked out of the church.

The priest sat, watching him leave. Wondering why this creature thought he would ever need him. Scared that he was right.

[kaybisgaard]

one of my finals :) i made a full title sequence for iwtv youtube link

[kaybisgaard]

most important part of the writing process actually is when you loop a single song on max volume and stare at the word document and imagine the characters doing things for 14 hours. this is known as getting in the zone

[kaybisgaard]